An independent commission established by the World Anti-Doping Agency issued a blistering report on Monday that accused Russia of running a years-long, systematic state-sponsored program of doping for its track and field athletes and recommended that the country be banned from all competition until it becomes compliant with WADA’s code.

The sanctions could include exclusion from the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The commission recommended that WADA withdraw its accreditation of the Moscow lab that analyzes anti-doping tests, saying its director had admitted to destroying 1,417 samples after a written request from WADA to preserve them for its investigation. The report also said that Russia’s security service — the succesor to the KGB — was present there during the Sochi Olympics, which “actively imposed an atmosphere of intimidation on laboratory process and staff.”

The commission found complicity among athletes, coaches, trainers, doctors and the country’s own anti-doping agency RUSADA, with evidence that coaches attempted to manipulate and interfere with doping reports and testing procedures, tactics remeniscent of the widescale doping scheme from the former East Germany.

“Many of the more egregious offenders appear to be coaches who … were once athletes and who work in connection with medical personnel,” the report said.

Commission chairman Richard Pound, the former president of WADA, called the findings of the report “very disturbing” during a press conference on Monday in Geneva and said he hoped Russia recognized “that it’s time to change.”

Given the extent of the program, Pound said it would be naive to conclude that Russian government officials didn’t know about it.

The report was timed for release before WADA’s foundation and executive board meeting on Nov. 17-18 in Colorado Springs, Pound said. The board will ultimately decide whether to enact the commission’s recommendation, and it is expected to further discuss the report, the International Olympic Committee’s proposal for WADA to take over testing athletes at a global level, and the compliance of sports and countries with world anti-doping rules — with Kenya’s lack of a strong program a likely topic.

“The evidence released today demonstrates a shocking level of corruption and sends a clear message to Russia that they will not be allowed to cheat the world’s athletes and escape justice behind a wall of deception and lies,” Travis Tygart, the CEO of the Colorado Springs-based U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, said in statement. “If Russia has created an organized scheme of state-sponsored doping, then they have no business being allowed to compete on the world stage.”

Officials have given information to Interpol because of possible criminal conduct among people and organizations it investigated, though it declined to name them or provide evidence because of the ongoing investigation. French police are investigating Lamine Diack, the former IAAF president, amid allegations that he received $1 million in bribes from Russia to cover up positive tests in 2011 that allowed six Russian athletes to continue to compete — some of whom went on to participate in the 2012 London Olympics.

The three-person WADA commission — which also included Richard H. McLaren, a law professor and longtime arbitrator with the Court of Arbitration for Sport; and Gunter Younger, head of the department of cybercrime with Bavarian Landeskriminalamt — was established after reporting by German broadcaster ARD in December 2014 showed Russia had systematically doped and covered up evidence of cheating in an effort to win medals and awards at top competitions.

The IAAF said it was considering sanctioning Russia, including provisional and full suspension and the removal of Russia from future IAAF events. IAAF president Sebastian Coe called the report “alarming.” The report recommended WADA impose lifetime bans on five Russian coaches and five athletes — one that won gold in the 800 at the London Olympics, the other who won silver.

“We need time to properly digest and understand the detailed findings included in the report,” he said in a statement. “This step (of considering sanctions) has not been taken lightly. Our athletes, partners and fans have my total assurance that where there are failures in our governance or our anti-doping programs we will fix them. We will do whatever it takes to protect the clean athletes and rebuild trust in our sport.”

Coe said he would give Russia until the end of the week to respond to the report before it determines whether to suspend its athletes from international competition.

Digital Director of Audience Development for Digital First Media, the parent company of The Denver Post. He is a former senior editor, director of audience development, digital director of sports and social media editor at The Post.